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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27011038">Land of the Blind</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns/pseuds/LittleRedRoseontheValley'>LittleRedRoseontheValley (TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Freshman Series (Visual Novels), Veil of Secrets (Visual Novel)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blindness, Childhood Friends, F/M, Family, Fluff, Music, Orphanage, Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:55:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,396</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27011038</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLifeAndLiesOfFerns/pseuds/LittleRedRoseontheValley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nathan is caugh on a DUI and is sentenced to comunity service. There, he meets someone who can change his life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kate O'Malley/Tanner Sterling, Nathan Sterling/Main Character (The Freshman)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Land of the Blind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>בשוק סמייא צווחין לעווירא סגי נהור</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In the street of the blind, the one-eyed man is called the Guiding Light</em>
</p><hr/><p>"Nathan Sterling! Come over here, bro!" Beau Han bellowed, causing several heads in the party to turn, but he remained uncaring, as he went on to wave his bottle of beer as a half-hearted greeting.</p><p>Nathan sighed, shaking his head in frustration at the closest thing he could call as best friend. His boorish antics got old fast, and he had to take them for years now. However, it did not keep the young, blond man to slip into the seat next to him and grabbing a bottle of beer.</p><p>They had met in college, when they pledged the same fraternity. They both came from privileged upbringings, with the difference that Beau was nouveau riche, while Nathan was a Boston Brahmin. The Asian boy, because of that, submitted himself to be his faithful lapdog, and he did not care for the difference between that and “true friendship”.</p><p>"Anything fun going on around here?" Nathan asked, unamused.</p><p>Beau gave a casual shrug, before pulling a face. "No hot girls are allowed here, apparently."</p><p>He craned his neck then, as if looking for something. Nathan frowned, opening his mouth to question him when Beau beat him to it. "Eh, Nathan? Where's Becca? I thought she was your conquest for the week?"</p><p>Nathan flicked his finger dismissively, before downing the bottle of beer. The voluptuous girl was not bad-looking, on the contrary, but she really was just really bossy and nagging, and her name was tarnished since her parents divorced and cut her off, it was no fun.</p><p>Not to mention, she wanted commitment, too. She wanted to raise herself from the filth she was thrown in. It was a big no-no for Nathan. He did not, under any circumstances, do commitments. Anytime a girl seemed to imply that, she was out. Especially the social-climbers.</p><p>"She's old news already, Beau.” He responded, lazily. “I can't seem to find anyone else up to my standards."</p><p>"Your standards must be reaching heaven, my dear friend." Beau shook his head as he chugged his beer, before wiping the corner of his mouth to clean himself of the trail of white booze. "I'm pretty sure dear Katie would be glad to lecture you again."</p><p>Nathan sighed, shaking his head. Katie was the exact reason why he is so averse to commitment. She was his cousin’s wife, daughter of a fisherman from down at the harbour, and seemed to think they were a loving family just because they were around the same age. She firmly believed in love and that Tanner was her One and Only.</p><p>To him, it all sound either naïve or malicious. She knew he was cheating on her with the Emersons’ slag, Scarlett, but she took it because parting with the Sterling fortune was too much to bear. Not that she will ever really have to, having birthed a daughter already.</p><p>He almost scoffed at just the mere idea of fairy-tale love. Pick any marriage on his lineage, from the very day the first member of his family set foot in America hailing from Norway, and they would be a good example that love did not exist. Including Kate and Tanner’s.</p><p>“She can’t lecture me if she doesn’t know, and evidence shows it isn’t that hard to hide things from her. She is pretty stupid.”</p><p>"Damn, you're bad!" Beau chuckled heartily before pulling Nathan up from his seat, gesturing to the platform set up for the party. "Let's go dance, and maybe pick up some hot girls, yeah?"</p><p>The corner of Nathan's mouth lifted slightly. Yes, that was exactly what he needed.</p><p>"Yeah, you're on."</p><hr/><p>"Nathan, you honestly shouldn't… " Beau stopped in the middle of the sentence, hiccupping for probably the umpteenth time. "Drive the car in such a state. You might get into an accident."</p><p>"Shut up, Beau, unless you’d like to walk." Nathan threatened. He was sure that he could handle liquor well, Beau was totally underestimating him. "I'm pretty sure you're the one who needs help getting home. Whose party is this again? Elliott's? I'm sure he'll be glad to drive you home."</p><p>"Yes, see that horn over there?" Beau hiccupped again, before chuckling and pointing at the roof of the house. "It’s Elliott's!"</p><p>"Damn, Beau, you are drunk." Nathan shook his head. Beau really seem like a stupid teenager at times. He muffled a sigh. “Call yourself an Uber. I know you like to spite your mother.”</p><p>"No need. Beau's going home with me." A familiar voice stated from behind the said male's bulky form.</p><p>Nathan's eyes widen by the tiniest bit, before he recovered, trying not to laugh. Trying to make him jealous? With Han? How quaint. Too bad it would not work.</p><p>"Oh, alright then." Nathan said, grinning as he saw his friend's face morphed into one of horror's, but he paid him no heed. He was apparently still sober enough to realize what he was getting into. "Have a nice night, Claire."</p><p>Without another word, he silently washed his hands from Han before he slipped into his Aston Martin and sped off. The adrenaline was coursing through his veins, most probably a side effect from the consumption of beer. It had actually been a while since he had gone home with a girl, and for this moment, this silence was actually rather nice and peaceful.</p><p>He took a deep breath before he relaxed against his comfortable leather seat.</p><p>The sirens of police cars suddenly broke him out of his reverie, and he immediately swerved to a stop in an unconscious move.</p><p>
  <em>Ugh, Nathan, you idiot! What did you stop for?</em>
</p><p>He suppressed his grumbles as he rolled down the window of his car to come face-to-face to Officer Silverhawk. He muttered a curse under his breath. Of all people... Of all days...</p><p>"Good evening, Officer Silverhawk." He greeted grudgingly.</p><p>"Yes, Nathan." He sounded displeased. "What're you doing out here that late at night? Is that alcohol? You reek of it!"</p><p>"No, of course not, ma’am." Nathan lied smoothly. "I wouldn't do such a dangerous, reckless thing."</p><p>“You certainly would.” She said, unbelieving. “Give me your keys. I’ll pull up your record.”</p><p>"Don’t get your panties on a twist, Officer Silverhawk." He muttered.</p><p>Officer Silverhawk looked up from scrolling through the records at the mention of her name, but Nathan waved his hand like it was nothing.</p><p>"Well, Nathan…" She said, sounding gruff. "It's not the first time you've been caught speeding. In fact, this is the fifteenth time, and there's another few which was after consuming alcohol."</p><p>Again, shit.</p><p>"Well, I'm afraid you'd have to go to the police with us. Don't worry, you will most likely just have to serve community service if it comes to that." Officer Silverhawk seemed to meant for herself to sound reassuring.</p><p>However, she seemed smug and Nathan noted irritably that her upper lip seemed to twitch slightly at that comment.</p><p>Fuck, was the only thought echoing through his mind. His parents were going to kill him.</p><hr/><p>“You are a disgrace, Mr. Sterling. You are a smudge on this town prideful tradition, and a shame to your surname.” Judge Rhodes said, sternly, from his bench. “I am very glad that I was able to shield my stepdaughter from the likes of you.”</p><p>Nathan used much of his willpower not to roll his eyes at that comment. Judge Rhodes was obsessed with his wife and stepdaughter, to the point it was nauseating.</p><p>The man congratulate himself into making a “safe” town for his family to live, as if he would ever be interested in Emily Harper. She was a very creepy character, and he is not alone in thinking that. Yes, she was his neighbour, but they just never interacted anymore.</p><p>He could remember that, before Queenie Harper married Dr. Rhodes, before even Evan Harper died of a heart attack, him and Emily would spend a lot of time together. Mrs. Harper would have him on their home to relieve his nannies, and the two kids would spend the Summer afternoons together.</p><p>Over Winter, while he was away in New Haven with his parents, however, Mr. Harper passed away and Queenie moved away with Emily to God knows where. They returned years later, when the old bat had already remarried, conveniently, with the new county judge.</p><p>Every time he sees her, which was actually quite rare, she would be wearing a long dress and she would be wearing a sunglass with Zigmund Ortega, if he remembered correctly, the felon son of their housemaid, or with either of her parents by her side.</p><p>“I would prefer to send you away for a month at the county jail. That ought to straighten you out. However, the laws of the state of Massachusetts do not allow me.” The judge continued, doling out the punishment. “Therefore, I hereby sentence you, Nathan Sterling, III, to ten weeks of community service. I really hope this would be of help to your behaviour."</p><p>The gavel went down, he was taken away from the courtroom to where his family was restlessly waiting, no doubt anxious to give him a piece of their mind. He almost wished that Rhodes had locked him away.</p><p>“A DUI, Nathan, honestly.” Lois Sterling, his mother, admonishes coldly. “Why don’t you just piss on your great-grandfather’s statue at main square while you’re on it, huh?”</p><p>He limits himself to a glare. His mother really knows how to make a bad situation worse just by standing in the room.</p><p>His father, in turn, merely sighed, patting Nathan's stiff shoulder. "Learn something there, son."</p><p>"Nathan, you're an idiot. I swear, you are!" Katie huffed, looking very much like an angry poodle dog. "But I really feel like something good may come out of this whole mess, so don't go messing things up."</p><p>He rolled his eyes. "Whatever you want, Cinderella."</p><p>All he got was an answering smack.</p><hr/><p>"Well, now what am I supposed to do?" Nathan asked, refraining from groaning as he looked at the peeling layers of wallpaper in the room of the orphanage.</p><p>The matron of the establishment narrowed her beady, black eyes at him, as if threatening him, before she pushed the grey bun on her head up higher. He stared at it for a moment, fascinated, before turning to face her. "I'm sorry, Ms..."</p><p>"Mrs. Higginbotham." She snapped, her lips twisting to a grimace. "You weren't listening."</p><p>"I'm sorry." He shuffled his feet and stared at them for a moment, trying to deceive her into thinking he was feeling guilty, which he obviously was not.</p><p>She released a sigh. "It's alright, boy."</p><p>Some people just were so easy to deceive. Most people, in fact, were easily thwarted by him. Call it a congenic trait.</p><p>The older woman motioned for the wall. "You need to peel of the wallpaper of this entire room before repainting it. A few older children will be coming in to help you out later, so don't worry about the workload."</p><p>He nodded.</p><p>She mimicked his movements, looking satisfied before leaving him with the appropriate tools.</p><p>He sighed, pulling his sleeves up and dreading the loss of a shirt. "Better get to work now, I guess."</p><p>"Hello!" A cheery voice disrupted his concentration, and he turned to face her after scraping off the last peeling layer of white from the ceiling.</p><p>What he saw was an assorted group of approximately thirteen-year-old teens standing there and looking at him. He fought back a grimace, before he raised his hand in an awkward wave.</p><p>"Uh, hi?"</p><p>"We heard you were here to serve your sentence." One of the boys blurted out.</p><p>The boy beside him smacked him.</p><p>"Not a sentence, Nicky. That's such an exaggeration!" He paused, before giving Nathan a curious look. "Or is it?"</p><p>"Alright, boys." A girl who was obviously the leader of the group of five stepped out, holding her palms up for silence. "Enough. We are here to help."</p><p>The two boys bowed their heads in resignation. "Sorry, Vanessa."</p><p>She nodded her head in satisfaction before turning her attention to the gaping Nathan. "What do you need help with, sir?"</p><p>"The scraping of wallpaper at the rest of the walls, I guess. I already did the ceiling. Then we can paint this room." He replied after recovering quickly. "And don't call me 'sir', please. It makes me sound old."</p><p>Vanessa grinned.</p><p>"Okay. Let's get to work then!"</p><p>This kid must be something to control them like that. Blonde curly hair, bright blue eyes, clearly a strong-willed kid. Had not been for the crude demeanour of her posture, one would say they were siblings. He found he rather liked her.</p><p>A few minutes after they started work, Nicky, if he remembered correctly, suddenly asked. "Brad, aren't you looking forward to the afternoon?"</p><p>The boy who smacked Nicky turned, his eyes bright as a cheeky smile surfaced, accidently scratching the wall with his tool in his carelessness, but he paid it no heed.</p><p>"Like, duh! Emmy is coming!"</p><p>"Emmy?" Nathan could not help himself from asking.</p><p>All eyes in the room turned to look at him, looking shocked before exclaiming in unison, "You don't know who's Emmy?"</p><p>“No, not really.” He responded.</p><p>“Emily Harper.” Vanessa supplied, helpfully. “She’s a voluntary teacher here. The kids that have been here the longest call her Emmy.”</p><p>“Oh! She’s my next-door neighbour.” He gasped in recognition. "Um, well, we’ve met, years ago, but we’re not close anymore. She's kind of... I don't know… "</p><p>He tried to untangle himself out of the situation, noticing how everyone seemed to stiffen at his words.</p><p>"You're one of those creeps who look down on her, right?" Nicky yelled, his face red with anger as he fisted his hands, stepping forward and looking as if he was about to hit him.</p><p>"Nicky." Vanessa's soft voice stopped him, and he bit his lip before muttering an apology.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Nathan, we're rather protective when it comes to Emily." She managed a smile. "I sure hope you aren't one of those who look down on her. She is a lovely person. She really brightens up our day."</p><p>He smiled back, unsure of what reply to give.</p><p>After that exchange, the room's atmosphere seemed to escalate to a freezing region, where everyone talked among themselves, occasionally only speaking to Nathan when they need to.</p><p>It seemed hours to him before Mrs. Higginbotham came, looking very pleased with their progress. "Well, you are almost done, ain't ya?"</p><p>All the teens nodded their heads eagerly, excluding Nathan.</p><p>"Well, I suppose you all can go for your break." She turned to leave before she angled her face back to face them once more, a twinkle in her eye. "By the way, Ms. Harper has arrived."</p><p>It was a moment after she left, before all the children threw down their tools and dashed out, pushing against each other as they stumbled along the corridor. Nathan blinked once in bewilderment, before he decided not to follow.</p><p>He continued working on his part of the room for a few more minutes, before his stomach growled. He bit the inside of his cheeks, before resigning. Now, he would have to find the canteen by himself.</p><p>How pathetic. Why did he have to stop his car when Officer Silverhawk signalled him to? Walsh would never let her come after him, anyways. There were so many better ways to spend his precious time, to the point he is willing to go work with his father.</p><p>Pulling the towel off his neck, he jumped down from the stool before trudging out of the room. The county orphanage could not be that big; he was sure of it. It should not be too hard to find the canteen.</p><p>He yawned, rubbing his eyes. This work really was exhausting.</p><p>As he walked down the hallway, commiserating with himself, a beautiful melody drifted to his ears then, and he immediately perked up. Someone was playing the violin, and that person was really good at it, too.</p><p>Unknowingly, his feet followed the source of the music, and he stopped in front of a door at last.</p><p>Placing his hand on the doorknob, he debated for a while whether he should go in or just leave it be. But the curiosity of knowing who was inside overwhelmed him, and he twisted the knob as softly as he could before he poked his head to the room.</p><p>A redhead with long, flowing curly hair tumbling down to her waist was on the middle of a mostly empty room, holding the instrument. She was wearing a white floral dress that reached over her knees. He watched, transfixed as her fingers danced over the strings, her eyes closed and her full lips in a concentrated pout.</p><p>"Nathan?" Mrs. Higginbotham's voice broke him out of his entranced stare.</p><p>The music abruptly got cut off and the girl turned to face him. His jaw almost fell to the ground.</p><p>"E-Emily?" He managed to get out.</p><p>She smiled a breath-taking smile, standing up from her seat, her eyes still closed as she tilted her head to the side for a moment.</p><p>"Hi, Nathan."</p><p>"Hi?" But it sounded more like a question. The beautiful girl playing the violin just now... Was actually <em>Emily Harper</em>? The ghost of Birchport? The bratty child of the county judge?</p><p>He swallowed, watching as her long, elegant fingers pressed against her full, red lips, looking embarrassed.</p><p>"Did you hear me play?" She asked, a soft stutter on her words.</p><p>"I did. It was beautiful." He breathed, still looking utterly entranced, his emerald green eyes lighting up as they stared at her.</p><p>Red coloured both her cheeks as she fidgeted even more, seeming to feel the weight of his stare. "Thank you, you’re too kind."</p><p>Suddenly, someone coughed in the room, and Nathan realized they were not alone. The entire roomful of teens and children and Mrs. Higginbotham were looking at him, seemingly in amusement and curiosity.</p><p>"New brother!" One of the younger kids squealed before clapping his hands together, looking very happy.</p><p>Nathan stared at them with a completely bewildered expression.</p><p>"Well, Nathan, how nice of you to join us." Mrs. Higginbotham said, motioning for him to take a seat and snapping him out of his thoughts.</p><p>"Thank you, Mrs. Higginbotham."</p><p>"Sorry, Nathan. I really thought you were one of those creeps who look down on Emmy." Nicky whispered to him from in front and Nathan tilted his head to the side. Why would anyone look down on her? She was beautiful, and she played such beautiful music.</p><p>Before he could ask, though, Emily had already picked up her instrument and placed on her neck, measuring the tempo for a new song. She seemed tense now, her fingers stiff. Was it because of his presence?</p><p>He wondered about it, before shaking it off. <em>Impossible</em>.</p><p>Her first note was slightly shaky, before it was followed by a firmer tone. As she continued on, her confidence began to grow and the music slowly crawled to a crescendo, her fingers flying over the strings.</p><p>He could not help but gape. She was the epitome of beauty and class. Maybe she would be deserving to be his next conquest.</p><p>"Beautiful, isn't she?" Mrs. Higginbotham murmured from beside him.</p><p>He nodded, not speaking, transfixed by the song.</p><p>"You can't even tell that she's blind." She said softly and Nathan whirled to face her in shock.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"Why, yes, Nathan. She's blind." She said, a little surprised. “I thought you knew. Most people in town do.”</p><p>“I… She wasn’t blind back when we were close.” He responded lamely.</p><p>Higginbotham tutted, lost in thought. “She did lose her sight, just after her father’s death.”</p><p>“How did it happen?” He asked, curiously.</p><p>“You’d do better asking her yourself.” She answered with a tone of finality.</p><p>That night, as he went out with Kassidy Marquez, his mind was elsewhere; thinking of a certain redhead with a lovely blush.</p><p>Soon, he broke off with a shocked and angry Kassidy, because he simply could not stand the heaviness in his heart.</p><hr/><p>Emily teaches music to the children at the orphanage, or at least tries to. Their music room was on the bare side, so their lessons are mostly consisted of her playing for them to hear. After every break she plays, she would tell the children the stories of her life, and Nathan would sometimes be one of the characters.</p><p>When she was feeling particularly wicked, she would tell some humiliating story of the two of them when they were kids, which would always finish with him red as a tomato and mumbling, “That’s so not what happened…”</p><p>She, however, never told them about the time she spent away from Birchport, curiously enough. She never told them how she lost her sigh, nor where she had been or what she had been doing. It was mysterious.</p><p>Every day, after clock out, Nathan would go home alone looking dazed, and Katie would be waiting for him on the foyer, just to pester him as always, wondering who the girl was.</p><p>She sure was not the only one wondering.</p><p>He stopped going out at night, he stopped dating different girls at the time. In a nutshell, he stopped doing everything like he would always do. Instead, he would always go to their library to play the piano when he had any free time.</p><p>There was a time he loved playing the piano. His mother had commanded him to choose an instrument, and he took to that. He even had quite a deal of talent, but on his Senior year in high school, Lois barred him from playing and at Hartford was impossible. By the time Summer came and he returned to Birchport, he had long forgot it.</p><p>The change of his personality within such a short period of time was shocking, to say the least. It was a pleasant one, though, of course.</p><p>He would always look out of his bedroom window, gazing beyond the gardens, wanting to see her, but he would never have the chance to. So, he had to wait every day until he reached the orphanage.</p><hr/><p>"Nathan, it's your last day of community service today, right?" Katie declared, over breakfast. "It must have been a long two months and a half."</p><p>He shook his head, but refrained from a snarky comment. Nathan had been more patient with his cousin by marriage these days. In fact, he had been more patient and mindful with just about everybody, with the notable exception of his mother.</p><p>Happy people want for everybody to be happy too, he reasoned. Since he felt more comfortable in Emily’s company, he stopped to be so cynical about everyone’s angle when talking to him, he became more trusting. He was even beginning to accept that Katie was just a good person, after all.</p><p>"It's not long at all." He murmured, the corner of his lips tugging up slightly. "Not long at all."</p><p>Nathan Snr. stared, seeming shocked, but said nothing. An approving smile was on his face. They simply have to meet this girl.</p><p>Lois, in turn, glared at her son. “I hope you’ve learned your lesson, boy. The next time you pull out something like that, you won’t be getting off so easily.”</p><p>The young man shrugged and got up to his feet, leaving the house with no further words. He jumped into his car and drove as fast as he could to the orphanage, getting straight into work as soon as he arrived.</p><p>He watched her as he ran his errands, during every break of that week, watching the beautiful girl playing music that touched his very soul. He was captivated, he was entranced, and he was completely falling to the grace of it.</p><p>Not only to the violin, but to the girl playing it.</p><p>The slight furrow between her brows as she contemplated something; how she pressed her fingers against her lips when she was embarrassed; how her hands would wrang together when she was nervous; how she would bite her lip when she was frightened; how...</p><p>Fuck, how did he know these things?</p><p>He buried his head into the crook of his arm. It was the last day of his community service, and he was actually here, obsessing over a girl. A girl who barely knew him and would certainly hate to.</p><p>"Nathan?"</p><p>It was then, did he realize that Mrs. Higginbotham has been calling him for some time. She looked rather displeased. Again.</p><p>"I'm sorry."</p><p>"It's alright." She smiled. "As I was saying, I've seen in your information that you're rather talented in the piano. Why don't you two play a piece together? As a farewell?"</p><p>"You're leaving?"</p><p>A slight furrow could be seen from his view and he smiled, though he knew she would not see it. She actually looked concerned. He almost laughed at the irony of Judge Rhode's words on his sentence. Well, it certainly backfired.</p><p>He nodded slowly, out of habit. "Well, yeah. It's my last day of community service."</p><p>“I’ll round up the kids, while you decide on a song.” The matron declared. “I’m sure it will be beautiful.”</p><p>A pause.</p><p>"So, would you like to play a duet with me?" He asked, his tone velvet and smooth.</p><p>He would not talk to her anymore after this. Perhaps he would, they were neighbours, but it did not seem likely. It would not be like it was now, in these hallowed rooms, away from their families and away from the prying eyes of the community.</p><p>As he spoke, he took big strides, reaching her quickly. He took her hands that were wrung together on her lap before taking one of them to his lips, pressing his lips against them gently. She blushed deep red.</p><p>He felt his crooked smile on his face. His real smile, the one born out of legitimate joy, that he almost forgot he had. He frowned at that thought, dismissing it away quickly.</p><p>"A duet, my Lady?"</p><p>"Sure…" She stammered, a blush still on her cheeks.</p><p>He sat on a bench and stretched his hands to play the old piano that the institution kept and he had tuned earlier that month.</p><p>There was a silence as they shifted to make themselves comfortable, before he blurted, “Where were you?”</p><p>“What?” She asked softly, in confusion.</p><p>“We were friends, Emily. It might have been long ago, but I remember that much. I left for New Haven after Labour Day one year, and when I came back in the Spring, you were gone.” He said, rather feverishly. “Then, as suddenly as you left, you came back, and now you are <em>blind</em>. What happened?”</p><p>The girl turned her face away, trying to hide the tint on her cheeks. “It was entirely too sudden. My dad died, and then we moved right away. I didn’t know until I heard the movers come into the house.”</p><p>“Why, Emily? What happened?” He insisted.</p><p>“My dad, he had a heart attack while driving. He hit a tree and died from the impact. I was on the car with him, and the glass shards from the windshield cut my eyes.” She explained. “The doctors in Boston said I wouldn’t be able to see anymore, so my mother moved us to New York, so I could attend a school for the blind.”</p><p>“I see.” He nodded, sober. “And Judge Rhodes?”</p><p>“My mother met him in New York. He is a good man, just a little overbearing. He thought it would be better to live in a small town, that it would be safer, so when I got into Boston Conservatory, they decided to relocate to Birchport for me to commute.” She finishes her story with a soft voice, barely perceptible.</p><p>“I see. Thank you for telling me.” He responded, a little ashamed of himself. He should not have pressured her that way.</p><p>“It’s okay, I’ve been meaning to, actually.” Emily said, smiling again. “I was honestly quite intimidated by you in the beginning. You seemed always so angry and frustrated.”</p><p>Nathan chuckled. “It’s because I was.”</p><p>“You’ve mellowed out since.” She concludes. “I’m glad. You have a nice voice when you’re happy. I like it.”</p><p>“I have a pretty voice…” Nathan teased. "I must be pretty hot, huh?"</p><p>She giggled softly. "Yeah. You seem to be, if I remember you right."</p><p>"You aren't the only girl who say that."</p><p>Her smile melted away then, and Nathan berated himself for saying such a thing.</p><p>“You’re very perceptible. I live in a house full of perfectly seeing people, and none of them identify what I think or feel.” He smiled sadly, trying to cover up his slip of the tongue.</p><p>“I’m sorry for that, Nathan. You shouldn’t be made feel this way.” She raises her hands to him. He picks them up and cradle them on his. “People are good in hiding emotions in their faces, but not on their voices, not on their bodies. If there is one good thing about being blind is that it is difficult to be lied to.”</p><p>They took a minute to enjoy each other’s bodily presence, one that was too soon interrupted by a loud cough from Mrs. Higginbotham. All the older teens behind her stifled their laughter, seeming to know what was going on.</p><p>"What piece then?" Nathan questioned, a smile seeming stuck on his face. He just could not stop smiling.</p><p>"How about Dvořák?" She offers. “The fourth duet.”</p><p>"It's an enchanting piece, indeed." He murmured, watching as she fumbled with the stacks of scores for a moment before pulling out the desired one.</p><p>"I hope you'd have no problem with it. Um, no, I'm not underestimating you, it's just…"</p><p>He laughed. "No worries, Emily. I can cope, and I know you're not."</p><p>He could not help the arrogance that slipped through, but it was him, after all. He was not called a piano prodigy for nothing. His thumb brushed her warm cheek casually before they turned to the score before them.</p><p>He counted softly under his breath before his fingers swept over the keys in a beautiful, enchanting dance. The soft, soothing melody filled the room, their music interacting beautifully on the dusty air, and a smile would surface on both Nathan's and Emily's face as a surge of electricity run through their veins.</p><p>"Beautiful piece, isn't it?" Emily whispered, almost too soft for him to hear as their fingers choreographed a breath-taking dance, without any rehearsals or practice. They felt whole.</p><p>"Yes." Nathan murmured, unable to stop the next sentence from slipping out. "More beautiful when it's played with you."</p><p>He knew that out of all the girls he had been with, she, Emily Harper, the ghost of Birchport, brought out the best in him. He did not need to look at her to know she was smiling a timid smile.</p><p>They struck a final chord and simultaneously turned to face each other; though Emmy could not see him, before breaking out into a joyful laughter. The people in the room started laughing too.</p><p>The younger children had no idea what was happening, but they joined in, clapping their hands and squealing, immersing themselves in the happy and light atmosphere.</p><p>The fingers that were once dancing over the keys were now interlaced with each other tightly.</p><p>He knew it then, as he swept a strand of brown hair away from her closed eyes, a beautiful smile on her face; that he wanted her to love him; that he wanted them to be together.</p><p>"Emily." He murmured, cupping her face gently in his hands, before he pressed a soft kiss against her full, pouty ones, watching as a familiar red coloured her cheeks.</p><p>"Yes?" She answered breathlessly.</p><p>He smiled. "I promise I’ll share my eyes with you, if you promise to always be with me."</p><p>He watched a tear escape from the corner of her closed eye, before leaning forward and capturing it with his finger.</p><p>“I promise.” She whispered.</p><p>The children cheered while Mrs. Higginbotham looked at them with a berating eye-stare, scolding them for the display, but she could not stop a soft smile from spreading across her face, either.</p>
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